Weighing in on the much-debated topic of work-life balance and putting in more working hours as suggested by some corporate leaders in the recent past, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said he believed in the quality of work and not the quantity. Addressing the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2025 here in the national capital, Anand Mahindra, said that the ongoing debate was wrong because it emphasises on quantity of working hours. "I have huge respect for Narayana Murthy (founder of Infosys) and others. So let me not get this wrong, of course. But I have to say something, I think this debate is in the wrong direction," Anand Mahindra told the youth. "My point is we have to focus on the quality of work, not on the quantity of work. So it's not about 48, 40 hours, it's not about 70 hours, it's not about 90 hours," Anand Mahindra said. He said that it depends on the output of the work. "What output are you doing even if it's 10 hour...
Shantanu Deshpande, the head of Bombay Shaving Company, made an intriguing observation on LinkedIn that most Indian employees are not content with their jobs. He further speculated that many would opt out of work entirely if their financial needs were met.
In his post, he said that the sole reason why Indian employees return to offices every day is for financial security and sustenance.
"One of the tragic and late realisations I've had is - most people don't like their jobs. If everyone in India was given sustenance money and financial security their current jobs give them, 99 percent won't show up to work the next day," Mr Deshpande wrote. "From blue collar workforce to govt employees to gig workers to factories to insurance salesmen to banks to small business owners to even 'fun and employee-friendly startups' like BSC (my HR is gonna kill me) - the story is the same. 19-20 ka farak (There's hardly a difference)."
Deshpande likened the country's work culture to chasing a dangling carrot. He said, "To usurp someone away from their homes and families all day from morning to night, sometimes for days and weeks, with a hanging carrot of a paycheck - we just assume it's alright to do that cos that's what's been happening for 250+ years. That's how nations have been built. So we do it."
The Bombay Shaving Company CEO also addressed the wealth disparity in the country, pointing out that only 2,000 families control a significant portion of the nation's wealth. While the precise figures remain unclear, Mr Deshpande emphasised that these families pay less than 1.8 percent of the taxes.
Mr Deshpande concluded his post by sharing his personal reflections on the inequality inherent in such a work culture and urged those with resources to "be kind and generous, and help lift as many people up as possible."
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/dTbzi4r
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